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Cyber health checks

Given that malware and other forms of internet sabotage have the potential to cost e-Commerce companies a vast amount of money, a timely announcement has come from IT Governance. This cyber security service is launching a specific ‘cyber health check' aimed at providing a sense of reassurance for a cross-section of small to medium-sized organisations.

This check, instigated back in 2014, will not be tailored to the size of the company under the spotlight. Instead the check will be available at a fixed-rate price. Consultancy will be offered on-site, as well as a full audit of respective computer infrastructures. Following-on from the exhaustive data checking, a report into the remote vulnerability assessment will enable managers to get an accurate snapshot of exactly how robust their organisation currently is.

A survey conducted by British Telecommunications last year demonstrated that companies in the United Kingdom were lagging some way behind their American counterparts in several crucial area of IT security. This discrepancy was most marked in respective levels of preparedness for countering threats. This attitude extrapolates to how robust any organisation is likely to be in combating the incredibly diverse range of online threats, whether that be non-malicious insider threats, or direct attacks by hackers. Perhaps the fact that the US continues to shrug off the paralysing effects of the September 11 attacks has implanted a more deep-rooted fear of malicious cyber activity.

The Founder and Executive Chairman of IT Governance, Alan Calder, stated: ‘With the proliferation of cyber attacks, the UK organizations' ability to assess the cyber risks and put relevant controls in place will be increasingly tested. Those who take the right measures, and on time, will be able to withstand an attack and those, who don't, will fail. Identifying the gaps between your targeted risk mitigation position and your current situation is a critical step for developing a business-led cyber security strategy that will ensure your future business resilience'.

If organizations are in any way under-prepared for perceived cyber threats in the current environment, they would be advised to take the appropriate action. The future of the internet, with technology such as Cloud services emerging, means that the number of potential areas to be exploited by hackers is increasing rather than shrinking.

According to security spokespeople, migration to the web, coupled with increasingly sophisticated software, will create ever more vulnerability for e-Commerce. This, in turn, will draw cyber attackers like a magnet. What may well inspire management teams to shrug off their complacency are the results of these cyber health checks. It might come as a surprise to these organizations to find that they are not currently under attack – but their defenses were breached many months ago.

If it identifies a threat, it deals with it before it can do any damage, or lets you know if you need to take further action.

2. SiteAdvisor

Some websites include spyware, spam and online scams. SiteAdvisor checks for threatening websites and warns you before you interact with them.

3. Personal Firewall

Virus Protect has a built in-firewall which protects your network, acting as a virtual gateway for incoming traffic, letting in safe traffic and blocking incoming threats including hackers.

4. Parental controls

Protect your children from online dangers with Virus Protect's Parental Controls. Turn on age-appropriate searches, set web browsing limits and filter inappropriate websites. You can also chose to restrict access to specific websites and block access based on keywords.

Spyware is software that gets information from your computer without your knowledge and can make changes to your computer, slowing it down in the process. Virus Plus protects, detects and removes spyware and adware, as well as blocking tracking cookies.

7. Stealth mode

This mode allows you to use the internet anonymously, so your machine can't be seen by hackers.

8. Vulnerability Scanner

Companies like Microsoft, Google and Adobe continually releases software updates for their software often containing crucial security updates, so it's important to keep your machine up to date. Vulnerability Scanner installs the latest Windows updates, and those from other programs.

Use this to review your computer's security status, check for updates and fix security issues.

How to get Virus Protect:
1. Visit My BT and log in or sign up
2. Scroll down to My Extras, look for the BT Virus Protect panel and click Get Started.
3. Follow instructions to activate Virus Protect and begin the download.
4. Download and install it, look for the McAfee icon in your system tray, which means you are protected.

McAfee are one of many well-known security companies that produce apps for anti-virus/malware. We suggest it might be a good idea to have a few different security apps available from companies including Trend micro, Avast, Kaspersky.